Bicycle derailleur

ABSTRACT

A bicycle derailleur is basically provided with a base member, a movable member, a coupling member and a cable actuation ratio control mechanism. The movable member supports a chain guide. The coupling member movably couples the movable member to the base member. The cable actuation ratio control mechanism includes first and second link members. The first link member has a pivoting portion, a cable connection portion and a second link coupling portion. The pivoting portion is pivotally mounted to one of the coupling member and the base member. The cable connection portion is located on one side of the pivoting portion, while the second link coupling portion is located on the other side of the pivoting portion. The second link member is coupled to the first link member at the second link coupling portion and pivotally mounted to one of the movable member and the coupling member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a bicycle derailleur. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cable actuation ratio control mechanism of a bicycle derailleur, especially a bicycle rear derailleur.

2. Background Information

Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle. One component that has been extensively redesigned is the bicycle derailleur.

Typically, a derailleur has a base member and a movable member with a chain guide movably coupled to the base member via a linkage assembly (e.g., a coupling member). The base member is typically coupled to the rear triangle of the bicycle frame by a bolt that forms a B-axle for providing limited rotation with respect to the bicycle frame. The chain guide typically includes a pair of guide plates that rotatably support a guide pulley and a tension pulley between the guide plates. The chain guide is typically coupled to the movable member by a shaft that forms a P-axle for providing limited rotation of the chain guide with respect to the movable member. The linkage assembly typically includes a pair of pivotal links pivotally coupled to both the base member and the movable member. A spring typically biases the chain guide to either an innermost or outermost position relative to the rear sprockets. A bowden-type control cable with an outer sheath and an inner wire is typically coupled between the rear derailleur and a conventional shift control device. Thus, the chain guide can be moved laterally by moving the linkage assembly via the inner wire. Pulling the inner wire moves the chain guide against the biasing force of the spring, while releasing the inner wire causes the chain guide to move due to the biasing force of the spring.

In a cable actuated rear derailleur, the required amount of lateral displacement of the guide pulley is predetermined by the amount of lateral spacing between the rear sprockets. Thus, the required inner wire stroke is also automatically determined for a cable actuated rear derailleur. This means that such an inner wire stroke must be pulled in the shift operating device, and there is no free choice in designing the shift operating device in terms of the inner wire stroke for a particular cable actuated rear derailleur. This lateral (axial) displacement of guide pulley with respect to the inner wire displacement is defined as the actuation ratio of the rear derailleur.

In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved bicycle rear derailleur that will enhance design freedom for the shift operating device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle derailleur that will enhance design freedom for the shift operating device.

The foregoing object can basically be attained by providing a bicycle derailleur that comprises a base member, a movable member, a coupling member and a cable actuation ratio control mechanism. The movable member supports a chain guide. The coupling member movably couples the movable member to the base member so that the movable member is selectively movable relative to the base member. The cable actuation ratio control mechanism includes a first link member and a second link member. The first link member has a pivoting portion, a cable connection portion and a second link coupling portion. The pivoting portion is pivotally mounted to one of the coupling member and the base member. The cable connection portion is located on one side of the pivoting portion, while the second link coupling portion is located on the other side of the pivoting portion. The second link member is coupled to the first link member at the second link coupling portion and pivotally mounted to one of the movable member and the coupling member.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure:

FIG. 1 is an outside elevational view of a rear portion of a bicycle having a rear derailleur mounted thereto in accordance with a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of selected parts of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIG. 1 showing a top or high (tenth) gear position of the rear derailleur;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 2, of selected parts of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIG. 1, but showing a middle or intermediate (fifth) gear position of the rear derailleur;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, of selected parts of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIG. 1, but showing a bottom or low (first) gear position of the rear derailleur;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the selected parts of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4;

FIG. 6 is a simplified link diagram of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 in accordance with the first embodiment showing a top or high (tenth) gear position of the rear derailleur;

FIG. 7 is a simplified link diagram of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 in accordance with the first embodiment showing a bottom or low (first) gear position of the rear derailleur;

FIG. 8 is a bar graph comparing the necessary inner wire strokes a conventional rear derailleur and the rear derailleur illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a graph comparing the lateral movement or inner wire stroke of a conventional rear derailleur to the lateral movement or inner wire stroke of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an outside elevational view of a bicycle rear derailleur mounted thereto in accordance with a second embodiment with the second embodiment, with selected parts exploded out for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 11 is a simplified link diagram of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIG. 10 in accordance with the second embodiment showing a top or high (tenth) gear position of the rear derailleur; and

FIG. 12 is a simplified link diagram of the rear derailleur illustrated in FIG. 10 in accordance with the second embodiment showing a bottom or low (first) gear position of the rear derailleur.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a rear portion of a bicycle frame 10 is illustrated having a bicycle rear derailleur 12 mounted thereto in accordance with a first embodiment. The rear fork or triangle of the bicycle frame 10 has a rear gear assembly (cassette) having multiple rear gears or sprockets RS rotatably coupled thereto via the rear hub (not shown). A chain C is received on the rear sprockets RS and is operatively coupled to a set of front gears or sprockets (not shown) in a conventional manner for transmitting the desired rotational torque to the rear wheel of the bicycle in a conventional manner. The rear derailleur 12 is coupled to a rear derailleur shift operating device (not shown) via a rear shift cable 14 in a conventional manner. The shift cable 14 is a conventional bowden-type control cable with an outer sheath or casing 14 a and an inner wire 14 b.

More specifically, the rear derailleur 12 is illustrated as a top-normal type that is designed to be normally biased outwardly with respect to a center plane of the bicycle frame 10 such that the chain C is normally positioned on the outermost (smallest) gear or sprocket RS. Thus, when the rider actuates the rear derailleur shift operating device to pull the cable 14, the rear derailleur 12 moves the chain C inwardly to engage the next larger gear. On the other hand, when the rider actuates the rear derailleur shift operating device (not shown) to release the cable 14, the rear derailleur 12 moves the chain C outwardly to engage the next smaller gear. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the rear derailleur 12 could be a low-normal type, if needed and/or desired.

As seen in FIG. 1, the rear derailleur 12 constitutes a bicycle component that basically includes a base member 20, a movable member 22, a linkage assembly 24, a chain guide 26, a main biasing member 28 and a cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30. The base member 20 is pivotally attached to the bicycle frame 10 by a B-axle 32 for limited pivotal movement about a B-axis (labeled B in FIG. 1) in a conventional manner. The base member 20 has an outer casing support structure 20 a for supporting the outer casing 14 a of the shift cable 14.

The linkage assembly 24 constitutes a coupling member or moving mechanism for moving the movable member 22 and the chain guide 26 relative to the base member 20. In other words, the coupling member or linkage assembly 24 movably couples the movable member 22 to the base member 20 so that the movable member 22 is selectively movable relative to the base member 20 through the various gear positions (e.g., ten gear positions in the illustrated embodiment).

In the illustrated embodiment, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, the coupling member or linkage assembly 24 includes an outer link 34 and an inner link 36, with first ends of the links 34 and 36 being pivotally coupled to the base member 20 by a pair of pins 34 a and 36 a, respectively, and second ends of the links 34 and 36 being pivotally coupled to the movable member 22 by a pair of pins 34 b and 36 b, respectively. The main biasing member 28 is a tension spring having one end coupled to the pin 34 a and the other end coupled to the pin 36 b to bias the movable member 22 towards the top gear position as seen in FIG. 2. In other words, in illustrated embodiment, the biasing member 28 is coupled between the base member 20 and the movable member 22 of the rear derailleur 12 such that the chain guide 26 is normally biased laterally outwardly toward the smallest rear sprocket RS. Thus, the coupling member or linkage assembly 24 further includes the biasing member 28, which is arranged to urge the movable member 22 with respect to the base member 20 to the top gear position.

As seen in FIG. 1, the chain guide 26 basically has a chain cage 38 (e.g., a pair of guide plates), a guide sprocket or pulley 39 and a tension sprocket or pulley 40. The chain guide 26 is coupled to the movable member 22 for limited pivotal movement about a P-axis (labeled P in FIG. 1), which is substantially parallel to the B-axis. The guide pulley 39 is rotatably disposed between upper ends of the guide plates of the chain cage 38. The tension pulley 40 is rotatably disposed between lower ends of the guide plates of the chain cage 38. The guide plates of the chain cage 38 coupled together by thread fasteners that are disposed at rotational axes of the pulleys 39 and 40. The pulleys 39 and 40 engage the chain C in a conventional manner.

The parts of the rear derailleur 12 are basically conventional, except for the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30. Thus, only the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30 will be discussed and/or illustrated in detail herein. The cable actuation ratio control mechanism includes a first link member 41, a second link member 42 and a third link member 43. The link members 41 to 43 are rigid members that are formed of a hard rigid material such as metal or a hard plastic. By changing the dimensions (e.g., the effective lengths) of the link members 41 and 42, the actuation ratio of the rear derailleur 12 can be changed as needed and or desired. In other words, the lateral (axial) displacement of the guide pulley 39 with respect to the displacement (stroke) of the inner wire 14 b can be changed by replacing the link members 41 and 42 with different link members with different dimensions (e.g., the effective lengths).

As seen in FIG. 5, the first link member 41 has a pivoting portion 41 a, a cable connection portion 41 b and a second link coupling portion 41 c. The pivoting portion 41 a of the first link member 41 is pivotally mounted to the outer link 34 of the coupling member or linkage assembly 24 by a fastener 46 such as a screw. The cable connection portion 41 b is located on one side of the pivoting portion 41 a, while the second link coupling portion 41 c is located on the other side of the pivoting portion 41 a. The cable connection portion 41 b is an inner wire attachment structure that is configured to attach one end of the inner wire 14 b thereto using a pin.

The second link member 42 has a first end 42 a pivotally coupled to the first link member 42 at the second link coupling portion 41 c of the first link member 41. The first end 42 a of the second link member 42 has a hole that receives a fastener 48 such as a rivet. The second link member 42 has a second end 42 b pivotally mounted to the movable member 22. The second link member 42 is pivotally mounted to the movable member 22 via the third link member 43 about an axis that is offset with respect to pivot axes (e.g., the center axes of the pins 34 b and 36 b) of the second ends of the outer and inner links 34 and 36.

The third link member 43 is fixed to the movable member 22 by a screw 50 and the pin 34 b. The third link member 43 has a pivot axle 43 a that pivotally mounts the second link member 42 to the movable member 22 about an axis that is offset with respect to pivot axes (e.g., the center axes of the pins 34 b and 36 b) of the second ends of the outer and inner links 34 and 36.

As seen in FIGS. 2 to 4, when the inner wire 14 b is pulled, the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30 pulls the outer link 34 against the force of the biasing member 28 to move the movable member 22 with respect to the base member 20. When the inner wire 14 b is released, the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30 releases the outer link 34 such that the force of the biasing member 28 moves the movable member 22 with respect to the base member 20. More specifically, when the inner wire 14 b is pulled or released, the first link member 41 is caused to pivot on the fastener 46, which constitutes a first pivot axis or axle. This first pivot axis or axle remains stationary with respect to the outer link 34. As the first link member 41 pivots on the fastener 46, this causes the second link member 42 to pivot on the fastener 48, which constitutes a second pivot axis or axle. This second pivot axis or axle rotates about the first pivot axis or axle and changes position with respect to the outer link 34. As the second link member 42 pivots on the fastener 48, this causes the third link member 43 and the movable member 22 to move together with respect to the base member 20.

As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the rear derailleur 12 with the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30 is compared to a conventional rear derailleur that does not include the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30. In the conventional rear derailleur RD, for example, the actuation ratio at the ninth gear position is 2.047, while the actuation ratio at the low gear position is 1.270 (i.e., decreasing actuation ratio from the low gear position to the top gear position). However, in the rear derailleur 12, the lever members 41 and 42 are added for changing the actuation ratio. As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the actuation ratio can be reversed with respect to the conventional rear derailleur that does not include the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 30 such that the actuation ratio increases from the top gear position to the low gear position. Therefore, in other words, depending on dimensions of the lever members 41 and 42, it is possible to change a required inner wire stroke as the designer wants. This enhances design freedom for the shift operating device.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 to 12, a modified rear derailleur 112 is illustrated in accordance with a second embodiment. The rear derailleur 112 basically includes a base member 120, a movable member 122, a linkage assembly 124, a chain guide 126, a main biasing member (not shown) and a cable actuation ratio control mechanism 130. The main biasing member is a tension spring that is coupled between the base member 120 and the movable member 122 of the rear derailleur 112 in the same way as the first embodiment such that the chain guide 126 is normally biased laterally outwardly toward the smallest rear sprocket RS. Thus, the coupling member or linkage assembly 124 is urged by main biasing member to move the movable member 22 with respect to the base member 20 to the top gear position when the inner wire 14 b is released. The rear derailleur 112 is basically the same as the rear derailleur 12 of the first embodiment except for the cable actuation ratio control mechanism 130. In view of the similarity between the first and second embodiments, the descriptions of the parts of the second embodiment that are identical to the parts of the first embodiment will be omitted for the sake of brevity.

The cable actuation ratio control mechanism 130 includes a first link member 141 and a second link member 142. The link members 141 and 142 are rigid members that are formed of a hard rigid material such as metal or a hard plastic. The first link member 141 has a pivoting portion 141 a, a cable connection portion 141 b and a second link coupling portion 141 c. In this embodiment, the pivoting portion 141 a of the first link member 141 is pivotally mounted to the base member 120, and the second link member 142 is pivotally mounted to an outer link 134 of the coupling member or linkage assembly 124. The first link member 141 is pivotally mounted to the base member 120 by a fastener 146 about an axis that is offset with respect to pivot axes of the ends of the outer and inner links 134 and 135 that are attached to the base member 120. Also in this embodiment, the cable connection portion 141 b is an outer casing support structure and the outer link 134 includes an inner wire attachment structure 136. The second link member 142 has a first end 142 a pivotally coupled to the first link member 141 at the second link coupling portion 141 c of the first link member 141. The first end 142 a of the second link member 142 has a fastening pin 148. The second link member 142 has a second end 142 b pivotally mounted to the outer link 134 by a fastening pin 150. FIGS. 11 and 12 diagrammatically illustrate the movement of the rear derailleur 112 from a top or high gear position to a bottom or low gear position.

General Interpretation of Terms

In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. As used herein to describe the present invention, the following directional terms “forward, rearward, above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below and transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a bicycle equipped with the illustrated rear derailleur. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a bicycle equipped with the illustrated rear derailleur as used in the normal riding position. Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A bicycle derailleur comprising: a base member; a movable member supporting a chain guide; a coupling member movably coupling the movable member to the base member so that the movable member is selectively movable relative to the base member, and a cable actuation ratio control mechanism including a first link member and a second link member, the first link member having a pivoting portion pivotally mounted to one of the coupling member and the base member, a cable connection portion located on one side of the pivoting portion, and a second link coupling portion located on the other side of the pivoting portion, the second link member being coupled to the first link member at the second link coupling portion and pivotally mounted to one of the movable member and the coupling member.
 2. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member includes a pair of links, with first ends of the links being pivotally coupled to the base member and second ends of the links being pivotally coupled to the movable member.
 3. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting portion of the first link member is pivotally mounted to the coupling member, and the second link member is pivotally mounted to the movable member.
 4. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 3, wherein the coupling member includes an outer link and an inner link, with first ends of the outer and inner links being pivotally coupled to the base member and second ends of the outer and inner links being pivotally coupled to the movable member.
 5. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 4, wherein the pivoting portion of the first link member is pivotally mounted to the outer link, the cable connection portion is an inner wire attachment structure, and the base member is provided with an outer casing support structure.
 6. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 5, wherein the coupling member further includes a biasing member arranged to urge the movable member with respect to the base member to a top gear position.
 7. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 4, wherein the second link member is pivotally mounted to the movable member about an axis that is offset with respect to pivot axes of the second ends of the outer and inner links.
 8. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting portion of the first link member is pivotally mounted to the base member, and the second link member is pivotally mounted to the coupling member.
 9. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 8, wherein the coupling member includes an outer link and an inner link, with first ends of the outer and inner links being pivotally coupled to the base member and second ends of the outer and inner links being pivotally coupled to the movable member.
 10. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 9, wherein the second link member is pivotally mounted to the outer link, the cable connection portion is an outer casing support structure and the outer link includes an inner wire attachment structure.
 11. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 10, wherein the coupling member further includes a biasing member arranged to urge the movable member with respect to the base member to a top gear position.
 12. The bicycle derailleur according to claim 9, wherein the first link member is pivotally mounted to the base member about an axis that is offset with respect to pivot axes of the second ends of the outer and inner links. 